Top Stories this week: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005

The Anna Maria Island Privateers led their Christmas Parade 2005 in their ship and Santa brought up the rear. The parade ended at Coquina Beach where several hundred kids had visits with Santa and received gifts.

And the winner is ...

The top prize winner of The Islander Lighted Holiday Boat Parade is Everything Under the Sun Garden Center owners Nicole Heslop and Jon Westergard. Their boat "It's Only Money" was decorated with a flashy pink "moving" flamingo, green and gold palm trees, loads of lights and twinkling snowflakes and lots of folks aboard having a great time, prompting judges to declare it a "Florida Christmas."

Real estate buyers who think Anna Maria Island is like the mainland and in a buyers market with a glut of homes for sale should think again. Island real estate agents agree the Island real estate market bears little resemblance to its mainland counterpart.

The Bradenton City Council at its Dec. 14 meeting was expected to approve the preliminary site plan by Paradise Pointe LLC - a company owned by the St. Joe Company, formerly the Arvida Corp. - for a retail-office-restaurant complex at the east end of the Anna Maria Island Bridge. The St. Joe Company already has approval from Bradenton for a 686-unit condominium project adjacent to Perico Harbor Marina on the north side of Manatee Avenue.